I just attended Dr. Katharine Hayhoe’s Climate Week NYC talk at the American Museum of Natural History, and it was the most empowering climate message I’ve ever heard. It reframes the entire discussion around three simple ideas: Head, Heart, and Hands.

A research-backed truth: Dr. Hayhoe shared that most people in this country and in the world (~60% on both counts) are worried about climate change. We, the worried, don’t need more doom and damning data to get us concerned because we’re already there.

The challenge: Even though we’re worried, we aren’t taking enough action to alleviate our worry because we don’t know what to do about it.

The solution: Sync up our head, heart, and hands – what I’m calling the great triumvirate of change – and sync with others.

Well, that’s all well and good, but how do we do that? Dr. Hayhoe’s advice: Get clear about what we care about, how climate change will impact what we care about, find others who care about what we care about, and start talking!

Here’s our action plan:

Head: Define Your Why. Clearly identify exactly why you’re worried. Finish this sentence: “I care about climate because I care about…” How is your personal well-being, favorite place, or dearest value already being affected by climate change? Keep it simple, personal, and jargon-free.

Heart: Connect to Community. Now that you know what you care about, find communities, groups, and individuals who share that passion and are also affected by climate change.

Hands: Turn Conversation into Action. Get in touch with those communities and start talking about your shared worries and values. That act of conversation and connection will lead to meaningful, collaborative action or project to protect what you care about.

Climate change will affect everything everywhere all at once. It is a global issue, and no one will escape it so no matter what you care about, it will be impacted and there are communities of people who care about it, too. Let’s dive into an example from my personal life to see this action plan come to life.

An example:

Head: I’m worried about climate change because I love New York City. Since most of our city is at or near sea level, we will be subject to serious impacts from sea level rise, and we have a lot of issues now with rain flooding the streets and subways – our main modes of transportation. We also have a lot of people living in a small amount of space so there is a lot of pollution that impacts our health and well-being, and often crowds out green space, which is causing more heat, dirtier air, and health issues.

Heart: I love this city, and I do believe we can make it greener, cleaner, and healthier for all beings who live here – people, pets, wildlife, and plants. I want to find other people who also care about nature in NYC.

Hands: I run a live storytelling game show called NYC’s Secrets & Lies all about the secret history of NYC. This month, I decided to make the show all about stories related in nature in NYC and applied to have it become an official Climate Week NYC event. They accepted it (hooray!). I found a terrific venue – a hidden theater inside Port Authority Bus Terminal (a great tie into the transportation issues impacted by climate change here in NYC!) We had a wonderful cast of storytellers who were enthusiastic about the topic and told a wide range of stories. I also invited Josh Otero from the Natural Areas Conservancy to be our special guest to talk about all of the amazing work they do to make NYC greener and healthier. We had a sold-out show with a waitlist of 33 people, and all of the stories talked about interesting aspects of the history of nature in NYC. We had so much fun, and it was a great way to get the message out there! This show gave me a place to put my worries about climate change and turn them into action with others. I’m planning to do more of these shows – stay tuned!  

Our climate anxiety is reaching new heights and as Dr. Hayhoe explained, the way to use that anxiety for good is through stories. Storytelling is about conversations. Every great idea, every meaningful action, every ounce of change – it all begins with a conversation. Get out there, start talking, and see what change you can create with others.